Before the rain.......

WEDNESDAY 25 AUGUST

A dry morning surprisingly with calm conditions but mainly overcast skies. A band of heavy, persistent rain moved in from early afternoon.

IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
(0900-1230 hours)

Following Mike Wallen's observations early morning, I followed him up there, mainly in the hope of connecting with Tree Pipit but as usual, it was not to be. I did manage just one passage flyover YELLOW WAGTAIL at 1140 but other than that, the Beacon Slopes were devoid of any migrants other than EUROPEAN BARN SWALLOWS - 100 or more congregating in the Beacon area and resting on the wires and on the Hawthorns.

The car park Beeches and scrub held 5 Common Chiffchaffs, Green Woodpecker and Blackcap whilst the Beacon slopes harboured the continuing flock of 120 Goldfinches and a few Meadow Pipits.

Two separate flocks of Long-tailed Tits were encountered, along with 4 Bullfinch and 5 Yellowhammers but it was Inkombe Hole that where the majority of migrants were with 3 COMMON REDSTARTS on the South Slope, a juvenile Willow Warbler, 9 Blackcaps and a single WHINCHAT on the Steps Hill slope.

Two juvenile Common Buzzards drifted south, with 8 Common Magpies in the stubble, whilst in the recently cut fields below the main car park, 297 graellsii Lesser Black-backed Gulls were feeding and 13 argenteus Herring Gulls (LGRE)